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How to use the LinkedIn publishing platform to your advantage

Michelle Derungs

Thursday 27th Mar, 2014

LinkedIn offers you more than the ability to showcase your CV. It gives you the opportunity to network with industry professionals and build an image for yourself through the use of content.

There is no doubt that you will stand out from your competition if you create and showcase content surrounding industry hot topics, and LinkedIn's new publishing platform feature allows you to do just that.

So what are the main features of using the publishing platform?

Build online influence.

Contribute to your community.

Create industry relevant content that portrays you as passionate about your line of work.

Differentiate yourself amongst your peers.

Expand your reach rapidly.

The ability to follow other publishers. When individuals follow you they do not become connections of your professional profile.

Any posts that you create automatically become a part of your profile, allowing you to continuously showcase your content.

So, now that you've seen all the perceived benefits, this is how would you go about using the publishing platform to your advantage.

Create interesting, engaging content

LinkedIn have included guidelines for content creation. You need to ensure the message you are trying to send to your audience resonates itself in your content. For example, are you trying to inform your audience about an industry hot topic, or are your trying to sell your skills through the content that your create? The choice is yours.

Remember, it is crucial to keep your content attractive and simplistic. Your audience will become deterred or disengaged with heavy blocks of content. The use of media through images and video can also create a more appealing post.

Build your content on the LinkedIn publishing editor

Once you are clear on the topic and content you want to create you can begin building your content on the editing platform.

Please note that LinkedIn is in the process of releasing publishing capabilities to individuals, so if you don't yet have access, you will have in the near future. If you wish to apply for early access, fill out this short form.

It works in a very similar manner to a simple WordPress editor.

A key point when creating the content is to create a call to action at the bottom of each post. This would include a short bio about yourself as an individual. For example;

Distribute your content

Taking the time to create content is great however it's pointless if no one is reading it. That's why it's equally as important to share your content!

The easiest and most effective method of doing this is to simply share posts via all your other social media networks, and include it in your professional blog (if you have one). This adds credibility and builds up your social profile as a whole.

Use analytics to your advantage

A great feature about publishing posts via LinkedIn is the performance metrics it gives you. It will give you the number of views, comments and shares each post gets.

For example:

The key aspect of this is that you can use the data as a guide to what content is getting attention and what content is not. Thus over time, you can focus on creating content that people want to see which will in turn build up your professional image.

Remember, LinkedIn publisher is a very new feature, so staying ahead of your peers and using the feature to your full advantage now can not only help you to stand out from the crowd but can also build your professional image increasing the chance of securing those new valuable contracts!